Ashley Mulkern, BS
Discipline: Special Education and Early Childhood Education
About: Ashley Mulkern is a parent of a child with Autism as well as a Special Education Teacher and Case Manager with Child Development Services in Downeast Maine. Ashley attended University of Maine, Orono, for her BS in Child Development and Family Relations and continues to pursue higher education in the field. Throughout the past twelve years, Ashley has been involved in early intervention services, with a focus on children between the ages of three and five years old. This has come in the form of supporting families and children in the home, direct special education services in the classroom, coordinating services for children prior to entering Kindergarten, and advocating and supporting for her own son who transitioned into public school two years ago.
Advocating for and supporting students in the classroom is where it all began for Ashley. Her passion to advocate for parents increased when she, as a parent, was in need of navigating the multiple entities that play a role in child find, evaluation processes, eligibility processes, and receiving services. Ashley quickly realized that the process alone has a severe impact on the families, especially parents. Families often need additional support, education, and patience when completing this process, which Ashley hopes to improve for the families she serves.
